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Faith Christian students serve community to wrap up homecoming week

Day of service sends almost 400 high schoolers to 27 projects

Madison Walker reads to students at Foster Elementary. Walker and her Spanish 3 classmates from Faith Christian High visited with students during their school’s day of service.

Shanna Fortier

A group of students performed musical acts at Arbor View senior living in Arvada.

Shanna Fortier

Joel Parks works with fellow students on yardwork for an Arvada homeowner. “We’re leading by example by doing this,” Parks said.

After a week of spirit days at homecoming activities, over 300 Faith Christian High School students descended upon the Denver metro area to serve the community Sept. 28.

“It's a good way to end the week not looking inward, but looking outward,” said Michael Cook, principal at Faith Christian High. “It's a great way to serve our community. Our homecoming theme this year is love God, love others, so we're really putting that into action.”

Even when that's not the homecoming theme, it's tradition for Faith Christian students to spend the Friday morning of homecoming week doing things for others in the community.

“It's fun for our kids to get out and tangibly be the hands and feet of Jesus,” Cook said. “And it allows for our teachers to connect with students outside the classroom.”

The day of service is followed by a school-wide pizza party, tailgate and powder puff game.

Students volunteered on 27 different service projects including reading to bilingual students at Foster Elementary in Arvada, yard work at Hope House Colorado and partnering with the Denver Dream Center for community outreach.

For senior Katlin Miller, of Golden, the day of service is one she looks forward to each year. The project she has chosen the past three years has been to perform music for residents at Arbor View Senior Community in Arvada.

“What greater gift can we give than talent,” said Miller, who is involved with musical theater at the school. “We get to do something we like and we get to socialize with such kind people.”

Madison Walker, of Arvada, also found a project she relates to. Walker and her Spanish 3 class visited Foster Elementary, a duel-language school, to read to students in Spanish.

“I love being around kids and I think it's a good opportunity to share with them what we're about at Faith Christian,” Walker said. “We can read with them and just make a relationship with them. That's the first step of expanding the family of Christ.”

The day doesn't just bring service to the community. Sophomore Greer Porter, said helping the community also fills her.

“It's really just encouraging and helps bring light to us,” she said, while taking a break from raking leaves at and Arvada home.

Cook said that while the whole school is involved in service this day, students are looking for ways to serve year round. Faith Christian High students are required to fulfill 24 hours of service each year. But some go above and beyond that requirement.

“Our kids are itching to be involved,” Cook said. “So, any way that we can serve Arvada or the greater area, we want to know about.”